Rider suffers from Hyperkalemia on Saturday

I do not know this cyclist personally but I have been asked about Matt Allen several times so I thought a quick post would be in order. Please, this is all the information I know about the situation.

On Saturday, Matt Allen, 42, suffered what appeared to be a heart attack during a club supported training ride. Two riders stopped and since they could not find a pulse administered CPR until EMTs arrived at the scene.

The account goes on to say that 12 miles into the ride, Mr Allen felt light headed pulled over, dismounted his bike then passed out. He revived and was able to say his name and how old he was the passed out again. Once the EMTs arrived he was transported to NE Medical Center.

The doctors say it was not a heart attack, that Matt went into cardiac arrest due to Hyperkalemia, a condition caused by higher-than-normal levels of potassium in the bloodstream. The excess potassium basically stopped his heart.

Saturday night, they cooled Mr Allen’s body temperature to 91F in hopes of decreasing cerebral oxygen demand and reducing the likelihood of permanent brain damage. Matt is in stable condition and was still sedated until this morning. They started to warm Matt’s body this morning and as they did, he started to cough and gage. Basically the doctors found out he now has pneumonia, so they are treating him with antibiotics. It sounds like he is going to be ok but there is no report of brain damage or any other possible effect of the cardiac arrest.

Matt’s wife did say they were getting lots of support and help, with their two young children, from neighbors and family. The Allen’s had no family here, they actually just moved here a year ago. They are going to be setting up a web site so everyone could keep up with Matt’s time during recovery.

wiki/Hyperkalemia
* Intoxication with salt-substitute, potassium-containing dietary supplements, or potassium chloride (KCl) infusion. Note that for a person with normal kidney function and nothing interfering with normal elimination (see above), hyperkalemia by potassium intoxication would be seen only with large infusions of KCl or massive doses of oral KCl supplements.